1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for the preparation of supported, self-promoted molybdenum sulfide catalysts, the supported species prepared by such process, and to the use of such supported catalysts for hydroprocessing processes, particularly hydrotreating. More particularly, this invention relates to the preparation and use of supported catalysts useful for hydroprocessing processes such as hydrotreating wherein said catalysts are formed by heating a composite of a support and one or more molybdenum and/or tungsten bis(tetrathiometallate) catalyst precursor compounds containing the promoter metal as part of the precursor molecule in the presence of sulfur at elevated temperature for a time sufficient to form said self-promoted catalyst.
2. Background of the Disclosure
The petroleum industry is increasingly turning to coal, tar sands, heavy crudes and resids as sources for future feedstocks. Feedstocks derived from these heavy materials contain more sulfur and nitrogen than feedstocks derived from more conventional crude oils. Such feedstocks are commonly referred to as being dirty feeds. These feeds therefore require a considerable amount of upgrading in order to obtain usable products therefrom, such upgrading or refining generally being accomplished by hydrotreating processes which are well-known in the petroleum industry.
These processes require the treating with hydrogen of various hydrocarbon fractions, or whole heavy feeds, or feedstocks, in the presence of hydrotreating catalysts to effect conversion of at least a portion of the feeds, or feedstocks to lower molecular weight hydrocarbons, or to effect the removal of unwanted components, or compounds, or their conversion to innocuous or less undesirable compounds. Hydrotreating may be applied to a variety of feedstocks, e.g., solvents, light, middle, or heavy distillate feeds and residual feeds, or fuels. In hydrorefining relatively light feeds, the feeds are treated with hydrogen, often to improve odor, color, stability, combustion characteristics, and the like. Unsaturated hydrocarbons are hydrogenated, and saturated. Sulfur and nitrogen are removed in such treatments. In the treatment of catalytic cracking feedstocks, the cracking quality of the feedstock is improved by the hydrotreating. Carbon yield is reduced, and gasoline yield is generally increased. In the hydrodesulfurization of heavier feedstocks, or residua, the sulfur compounds are hydrogenated and cracked. Carbon-sulfur bonds are broken, and the sulfur for the most part is converted to hydrogen sulfide which is removed as a gas from the process. Hydrodenitrogenation, to some degree, also generally accompanies hydrodesulfurization reactions. In the hydrodenitrogenation of heavier feedstocks, or residua, the nitrogen compounds are hydrogenated and cracked. Carbon-nitrogen bonds are broken, and the nitrogen is converted to ammonia and evolved from the process. Hydrodesulfurization, to some degree, also generally accompanies hydrodenitrogenation reactions. In the hydrodesulfurization of relatively heavy feedstocks, emphasis is on the removal of sulfur from the feedstock. In the hydrodenitrogenation of relatively heavy feedstocks, emphasis is on the removal of nitrogen from the feedstock. Although hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation reactions generally occur together, it is usually far more difficult to achieve effective hydrodenitrogenation of feedstocks than hydrodesulfurization of feedstocks.
Catalysts most commonly used for these hydro-treating reactions include materials such as cobalt molybdate on alumina, nickel on alumina, cobalt molybdate promoted with nickel, nickel tungstate, etc. Also, it is well-known to those skilled in the art to use certain transition metal sulfides such as cobalt and molybdenum sulfides and mixtures thereof to upgrade oils containing sulfur and nitrogen compounds by catalytically removing such compounds in the presence of hydrogen, which processes are collectively known as hydrotreating or hydrorefining processes, it being understood that hydrorefining also includes some hydrogenation of aromatic and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 2,914,462 discloses the use of molybdenum sulfide for hydrodesulfurizing gas oil and U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,135 discloses the use of molybdenum sulfide for hydrorefining sulfur and nitrogen-containing hydrocarbon oils. U.S. Pat. No. 2,715,603 discloses the use of molybdenum sulfide as a catalyst for the hydrogenation of heavy oils, while U.S. Pat. No. 3,074,783 discloses the use of molybdenum sulfides for producing sulfur-free hydrogen and carbon dioxide, wherein the molybdenum sulfide converts carbonyl sulfide to hydrogen sulfide. Molybdenum and tungsten sulfides have other uses as catalysts, including hydrogenation, methanation, water gas shift, etc., reactions.
In general, with molybdenum and other transition metal sulfide catalysts as well as with other types of catalysts, higher catalyst surface areas generally result in more active catalysts than similar catalysts with lower surface areas. Thus, those skilled in the art are constantly trying to achieve catalysts that have higher surface areas. More recently, it has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,243,553 and 4,243,554 that molybdenum sulfide catalysts of relatively high surface area may be obtained by thermally decomposing selected thiomolybdate salts at temperatures ranging from 300.degree.-800.degree. C. in the presence of essentially inert, oxygen-free atmospheres. Suitable atmospheres are disclosed as consisting of argon, a vacuum, nitrogen and hydrogen. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,554 an ammonium thiomolybdate salt is decomposed at a rate in excess of 15.degree. C. per minute, whereas in U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,553 a substituted ammonium thiomolybdate salt is thermally decomposed at a very slot heating rate of from about 0.5.degree. to 2.degree. C./min. The processes disclosed in these patents are claimed to produce molybdenum disulfide catalysts having superior properties for water shift and methanation reactions and for catalyzed hydrogenation or hydrotreating reactions.
Catalysts comprising molybdenum sulfide in combination with other metal sulfides are also known. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 2,891,003 discloses an iron-chromium combination for desulfurizing olefinic gasoline fractions; U.S. pat. No. 3,116,234 discloses Cr-Mo and also Mo with Fe and/or Cr and/or Ni for HDS; U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,615 discloses Cr-Mo for HDN and HDS; U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,903 discloses Fe-Mo and Fe-Co-Mo for lube oil refining; U.S. Pat. No. 3,459,656 discloses Ni-Co-Mo for HDS; U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,761 discloses Fe-Ni-Mo for HDN and U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,258 discloses Fe-Cr-Mo for HDS with steam.